


One Spawn at a Time

by needdl



Series: nejiten modern au [10]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-10-30 18:19:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17833718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needdl/pseuds/needdl
Summary: The baby was due in T-minus four weeks- not that Tenten was going to let that slow her down.





	1. Chapter One

The light from the fire cast a warm glow over Neji’s features, softening them and gently casting the divets in his collarbone into shadow as Tenten nestled against his shoulder, clasping his hand in both of her own and tracing over his profile with her gaze. Hopefully Gai and Lee weren’t paying too close of attention to them, absorbed as they were in getting the chicken cooking over the campfire, because she knew her stare was undoubtedly sappy. 

 

It couldn’t be helped- Neji had woken her from her (now daily) late afternoon nap with gentle kisses and soft touches, plus a snack, and she was feeling  _ very  _ fond of him at the moment. 

 

And also very hungry. Hopefully dinner would be ready soon. 

 

She knew Neji was still a little wary over camping right now, what with her due date being in a few weeks and all, but so far the experience had been nothing short of pleasant. Gai and Lee, normally very extreme in dragging Neji and Tenten into their exhausting physical activities, were more than happy to let Tenten stay in the hammock and read her book (aka nap) while they dragged  _ Neji _ into white-water rafting or something. 

 

It was a win-win, as far as Tenten was concerned, because she and Neji could go for walks in the mornings after breakfast while Lee and Gai did their own thing, then meet back up with them for lunch. Then they could all relax for a bit before the three men departed to go be manly in the woods (or something). Tenten would nap, wake up to eat a snack, and then be up and perky by the time they came back. 

 

Today the three of them had gotten back a little early, but Neji had spent all the extra time cuddling her in their tent and getting her in a very agreeable and snuggly mood. She pretty much trailed him around the campsite after that, clinging to his arm.

 

Even when he was building up the fire, which probably was very annoying but he was smart enough not to say anything. Then he had to help her stand up from her awkward crouch on the ground.

 

Lee and Gai had volunteered to cook dinner, so Tenten immediately plastered herself against Neji’s side in Gai’s ugly two-person camping chair and hadn’t moved since. Every once in a while she tugged him down to kiss him. He seemed pretty all right with it, if his tiny smug smiles and gentle touches to her pregnant belly were anything to judge.

 

She was in such a good mood that she didn't even mind the touches, which normally made her roll her eyes and grouch a bit when anyone other than Neji did it. 

 

(With Neji she bore it with more grace, given that he was like, the father of the baby and all that. Plus he knew she didn't much like it and limited his contact to non-invasive, short touches. Even so, she usually had to swallow her biting jibes- because Neji was sweet and thoughtful even though he was usually the unfair recipient of her bad moods and he deserved to feel their little spawn moving around if he wanted to.)

 

Neji wrapped his arm around her and brought his hand around to rest on the side of her tummy. She clasped her hand over his and held it there, smiling softly into the firelight as he dropped his head down to nuzzle her temple.

 

Lee studiously turned over a few pieces of chicken. “Almost ready!” He announced cheerfully. Gai, digging through the cooler in the car to get out the greens for their salad, cheered loudly in response. Tenten ignored them both, cupping Neji’s jaw in her hand and holding him in place while she kissed him thoroughly and admittedly, rather loudly.

 

“Please stop,” Lee said plaintively. 

 

* * *

 

A week later (and one week closer to her due date), Tenten was feeling arguably the best she had felt for her entire pregnancy. Neji had helped her shave her legs that morning because she couldn’t reach them any more and he was the best husband in the world, plus a bunch of the baby clothes they’d ordered arrived and were waiting in a package on the doorstep when she got home from work.

 

She dragged it inside and ripped it open eagerly, then spent the next half an hour sitting in the foyer happily blubbering over the tiny socks and shirts and onesies and pants.

 

 _I’m going to have a baby,_ she thought joyfully to herself, _and it’s going to be soft and fat and cute and_ ** _my_** **_baby_** _._

 

She paused to consider the mess around her, wiping at her eyes with the collar of her shirt. Neji would undoubtedly be anticipating opening the clothes just as much as she had, so she began to fold things back up and put them in the box for him to unveil. He probably wouldn’t cry as much as she had though.

 

She left the box on prominent display on the kitchen counter, then headed upstairs to change into maternity leggings and an oversized tee. (Bless maternity leggings, honestly.) It took her an embarrassing amount of time to get her maternity pantsuit off and the casual wear on, but hey, she was almost thirty-seven weeks pregnant. The whole “moving around” thing wasn’t easy. 

 

She got back down to the kitchen to start on dinner and absently pulled her phone from her purse to find about ten billion texts from Neji checking to make sure she was home safely. 

 

_ Oops _ . As she got closer to their due date Neji had gotten more and more tense about her safety, and it had become his norm to check on her at several key points throughout the day. If she didn’t respond promptly enough, she could practically feel his blood pressure rising.

 

Luckily he hadn’t called her yet, which always indicated peak worry. She sent a quick text confirming she was home, followed by ‘ _ baby clothes came today! got distracted opening them. srry babe xoxo’ _

 

_ ‘I see.’  _ He responded.  _ ‘How do they look? _ ’

 

_ ‘so small and cute. it’s ridiculous. _ ’

 

_ ‘Well, babies are small and cute.’ _

 

‘ _ omg u are truly a genius.’ _

 

_ ‘Don’t be a smart ass.’ _

 

_ ‘why? you gonna punish me? :3’ _

 

_ ‘Don’t you make three-face at me.’ _

 

_ ‘:3 :3 :3’ _

 

_ ‘😑’ _

 

_ ‘hehe ❤️❤️’ _

 

When no answer was forthcoming, she tucked her phone into the waistband of her leggings and moved into the kitchen to look at what food they had for dinner- but not before snagging a bag of chips and ripping it open as one of many early evening snacks.

 

After a moment spent contemplating their food options, Tenten started pulling out the things she needed to make xiao long bao. She’d cooked up the chicken-based (part of her always mourned the fact she couldn’t use fatty pork to make up a rich broth, but Neji didn’t eat red meat and she loved him  _ so  _ much that she would sacrifice it) soup broth the night before to use in the next few days, so now she just needed to make up the filling and her dough.

 

She made the filling first, with a chicken (sigh) and shrimp base. There was a moment that she spent looking at the Shaoxing wine and thinking longingly about having a cold beer on a hot day, but she overcame it and quickly used what she needed and put away the bottle. Better not to think of lost pastimes. 

 

She was just about to start adding the hot water to her flour for the dough when she realized what an imminent mess she was about to make and paused to grab an apron. 

 

Once upon a time, Tenten had one single dark navy apron that fit adequately and functioned well. Then she moved in with Neji, who was a disaster in the kitchen if his meals went beyond chopping up vegetables or using a rice cooker. They’d quickly learned that they needed several aprons, because they had to wash them quite a bit. (He was better at cooking now, thank goodness.)

 

Also, once upon a time Tenten hadn’t been pregnant and her aprons would go on and stay on with one quick loop and tie. Now it was a whole five minutes to get the damned thing on and tie it well enough to  _ stay  _ on.

 

The baby kicked at her ribs, seemingly catching her disgruntled train of thought and defiantly proving a point.

 

Making the dough was a labor-intensive and exhausting endeavor, and Tenten quickly immersed herself in kneading it into perfection. 

 

She was concentrating so hard on the task that she didn’t even hear when Neji got home. He walked into the kitchen after she didn’t respond to his quiet greeting and froze, watching her rotund figure work at the dough.

 

After a moment, his eyes confirmed to him that yes, Tenten was barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen preparing dinner for her husband. Exactly the image she’d vehemently rejected in middle school and high school.

 

Tenten swore viciously in Mandarin at the dough. “WHY ARE YOU SO STICKY,” she demanded of it. The dough had no excuse for its behavior. 

 

Neji’s soft chuckle caught Tenten’s attention, and she whirled around, startled. Upon seeing him standing there, her entire face lit up, and the resulting leap in his chest made it difficult for a few moments to concentrate on the excited speech she immediately launched in greeting.

 

He tuned in again in time to hear her say, “-and I’m just wrapping up with the dough and about to get the steamer ready, if you want to go get changed and then help me fold up the dumplings?”

 

“Very well. But first-” Neji set his briefcase on the counter and crossed over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. 

 

A few minutes later, he pulled away and met Tenten’s dazed eyes. “I’m home,” he told her.

 

She gazed up at him, looking starstruck, then let out a small, almost shy smile.  “Welcome back.”

 

* * *

 

Another week closer to her due date- it was just a few days away now- and Tenten was over it. 

 

She was ready to have an actual baby to hold and to coo over and to urp on her and to cry all night- she wanted all of it, especially if it meant no longer being pregnant. 

 

She sprawled out on the bed and glared up at the ceiling, absolutely furious over the mere concept of getting up and dressed and breakfasted and going to work.

 

“Neji,” she said plaintively, “I’m ready to have this baby.”

 

There was a loud clattering noise from the bathroom, and Neji called sharply,  _ “What? _ ”

 

She jerked a little at the frantic tone in his voice, then realized what she had said. “Oh-” She half-attempted to roll over a bit to look at him, but gave up fast. “I don’t mean I’m in labor! Just tired of being pregnant. Didn’t mean to make it sound like that, sorry.”

 

She could hear Neji exhale in a gust. “Ah.”

 

They were both quiet again for a minute, as Neji went back to shaving and she went back to doing her best impression of a beached whale (at least, that’s what it seemed like to  _ her _ . She couldn’t even see over the swell of her belly into the bathroom.)

 

Neji cleared his throat in the silence. “Maybe you should take ma-”

 

“Nope.” She called back promptly.

 

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

 

“You were going to suggest,  _ again _ , that I take an early maternity leave. I’m not taking maternity leave until I go into labor or a week after our due date.”

 

There was a soothing pitch to his voice when he next replied. “But wouldn’t it be easier? You hate sitting at your desk all day, you’d at least be able to get up and do other things-”

 

“I do laps around exhibits with the tour guides.”

 

“But you wouldn’t have to worry about going to work, you could just focus on resting up and prepping for the baby.”

 

It  _ was  _ tempting, and Tenten cupped her belly with her hand as she thought it over. There was a hopeful silence coming from the bathroom. 

 

“Eh, nah,” Tenten decided. Neji let out a  _ whoosh  _ of air.

 

“Tennie-”

 

“Come over here and help me up,” she raised her arms in the air and flapped her hands at him. 

 

He sighed again, and a few moments later she could see his head over the top of her tummy. He stopped at the end of the bed and frowned at her. 

 

She let her hands fall down to rest at her sides on top of the bed covers. “Hey.”

 

“Hello.” He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Neither was she, actually. 

 

After a few more seconds of staring at each other, Tenten got a crick in her neck from craning her head to see Neji. She let her skull thump back against the bed. 

 

“So, you’re not going to help me up?”

 

“I like seeing you stuck on your back like a beetle.”

 

Tenten let out a loud, startled laugh. “What?!” Neji didn’t make jokes very often, and it always delighted her when he did.

 

She continued chortling as he smiled down at her, stepping closer to smooth his hand over the tight skin on her belly. He held out his other hand to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her into a sitting position.

 

She grinned up at him. “That was a good joke.”

 

“Thank you.” 

 

Tenten leaned over and wrapped her arms around his waist, nestling her head against his stomach and humming happily as he put one arm over her shoulders and cradled her head in the other.

 

“I like you a lot,” she told him, her voice muffled by his skin.

 

“I like you too.”

 

“A lot?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Cool.” She mused on it for a few moments, then said, “Then maybe we should get married and have a baby.”

 

She could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll have to ask my wife if she’s okay with it.”

 

“She probably will be. She seems pretty cool. A total babe.”

 

His chuckle rumbled in his chest, and she fought back a shiver over the low pitch. “You have no idea,” he told her, smoothing a lock of hair over her back.

 

He pulled away a few moments later and she pouted. “You need to get ready for work,” he reminded her, looking regretful.

 

“Ugh,  _ work _ .”

 

Neji raised his eyebrows and a keen look came over his eye. Tenten cut him off before he could say anything. “Just because I complain about it doesn’t mean I want to stay home!”

 

He sighed- he was always sighing, apparently he was too refined to roll his eyes- and was about to speak, so Tenten reached around him to grab his butt.

 

He choked off rather abruptly, eyes wide, and she grinned up at him. Her hands flexed as she dug her fingers in, enjoying herself immensely (Neji’s butt was  _ unreal _ . And it was her goddamn  _ right  _ to touch her husband’s butt as much as her heart desired.) Neji stared blankly at the wall in front of him as his cheekbones pinked and Tenten gleefully kneaded away.

 

After a moment, she leaned over- both hands still gripping his ass- and mouthed at his abs. The muscles twitched, and when she glanced up at Neji’s face through her lashes he was clenching his jaw. 

 

Slowly, she drew her hands around to his front and lightly scratched her nails down his abdomen. Just above the waistband of his slacks, she paused, fingers tracing along the edge, then pulled away.

 

Tenten stood up cheerfully. “Well, I guess I should get ready for work!” She walked into the bathroom and started closing it with great relish.

 

She caught a glimpse of Neji through the gap. He was standing still, back ramrod straight, and scowling at the wall.

 

Tenten grinned and closed the door with a sassy little snap.

 

* * *

 

The day of their due date, both Neji and Tenten spent their time in a haze, flurrying over any movements from the baby and staying up for the entire night “just in case.” 

 

When dawn came and there hadn’t been a single contraction, they realized that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea, because now they had to go to work. (And also what if the baby had actually come, or came the next day when they were sleep deprived? They had not thought that one through very well.)

 

Tenten just pitied anyone who had to interact with Neji that day, because the man got very grouchy without his beauty sleep.

 

Not that she was much better, but at least she had “imminent baby arrival” as an excuse.

 

Work was uneventful, which was a mixed blessing because it meant she didn’t have to do anything, but it also meant she didn’t have anything to do.

 

(It made sense and she’d fight anyone who said otherwise.)

 

Neji texted her constantly throughout the day, checking in on her and complaining about clients. They had a nice long phone conversation at lunch though, which perked up Tenten quite a bit and hopefully did the same for him.

 

Still, once quitting time rolled around and Tenten was faced with the option of leaving, she took it quite gleefully. 

 

Rather than going straight home though, she took a little detour to Neji’s building in downtown Konoha and rode the elevator up to his office floor.

 

Udon looked up at her in slight surprise, but gave her a polite smile. “Hello, Huang-hakase.”

 

“Hi Udon-san. Tenten-san is fine,” she reminded him. “Is Neji busy right now?”

 

“Nope, he’s clear for the rest of the day.”

 

Tenten stopped to lean against the reception desk, propping one hand on her lower back. “Was he in a bad mood today?”

 

“Er-” Udon had the grace to look a little uncomfortable at gossiping about one of his coworkers, even if it was with said coworker’s wife. “Well, he wasn’t in a  _ great  _ mood, but it’s not like he took it out on anyone, really, except maybe Hatake-bucho, and he usually kind of deserves it...”

 

Tenten grinned. “Sounds about right. Is it okay if I head in, then?”

 

“Sure, Huang-ha- er, Tenten-san. Would you like me to notify him at all?”

 

“Nah, we’ll see how snippy he gets before he realizes it’s me.” She waved to Udon over her shoulder and waddled over to Neji’s office, knocking once before busting the door open.

 

He was sitting at his desk and scowling, eyes on the computer monitor and pen in hand over some documents. At the sound of the door opening his jaw clenched and he snapped, “What.”

 

She snorted and closed the door behind her. “So it was that kind of a day.”

 

He jerked his head up and stared at her in surprise. “Tenten.”

 

“Yep.” She crossed the room and grabbed one of the chairs in front of his desk, then swung it around to sit next to him. “Teach us to not adhere to our sleep schedule, huh?”

 

“An unfortunate time for such a realization, given that we are due for a baby any day now.”

 

She gave him a wry grin and leaned in to kiss him briefly. “Well, I got off a little early today and figured I’d stop by. How were your clients from hell?”

 

“I’ve had worse, but they were… quite obtuse.”

 

She leaned back in her chair, linking their fingers together and smiling up at him. “I’m all ears, love.”

 

* * *

 

Four days after their due date and they were all ready for the baby to be born, including said baby. It had been doing somersaults for a few days and kicking up a storm, and while Tenten loved her little dumpling she was ready for the dumpling not do that anymore while she was trying to sleep.

 

Her obstetrician had recommended sex as ye old standby for inducing labor, so they’d been having a fun time with that, at least.

 

In fact, they’d spent the entire weekend, uh, trying to induce labor. 

 

But as Sunday drew to a close and there was still no baby in sight, Tenten’s frustration reached its all time high. She had a rage-filled crying session in her bath that night, furious over the fact that she was unwieldy and had swollen ankles and stretch marks and she couldn’t always hold it in completely when she had to use the bathroom and her boobs were sore and she got shooting pains up her back and she didn’t even fucking have her baby yet, the only reason she went through all of this in the first place.

 

Tenten scrubbed at her eyes, upset with herself for even succumbing to her frustrations. She could hear Neji quietly moving around in their bedroom outside the bathroom door and made an effort to be as silent as possible, not wanting to tip him off and worry him even more.

 

After a few minutes of calming down, she grabbed her body wash off the rim of the tub and soaped herself up, then rinsed off and started draining the tub. She did feel better now.

 

* * *

 

Tenten went into labor a little after 11:00PM that very night. 


	2. Chapter Two

It could be said that Neji was very stressed out. It could also be said that Naruto was slightly fond of ramen. Both would be understatements.

 

“Neji,” Tenten said very calmly from where she was slowly bouncing up and down on an exercise ball, “I know that telling you to relax won’t actually help you relax in any way, but could you at least pretend to relax?”

 

“I could try,” he said, somewhat numbly. He’d stopped blinking again. “But I doubt I will be good at it.”

 

“Okay.” She bounced in silence for a few moments, then said, “Holy fuck, this is taking a long time. How long since I first woke you up?”

 

He checked his watch. “Almost seven hours.”

 

“Wow.” She slowed to a halt. “And that’s after I waited for an hour too.”

 

“You  _ what _ ?”

 

“I wanted to be sure they were real contractions. Plus I figured if they were real then it’d be best to let you sleep for as long as possible.”

 

“Tenten- how could you- what if you-” Neji sputtered for a moment, then burst out, “Next time, let me know right away when they start.”

 

She grinned at him, and despite the exhaustion in her eyes they still sparkled with humor. “Let’s get through this one first, babe.”

 

There was a quiet knock on the door, and they both blinked at each other for a moment before Tenten called, “Come in!”

 

Sakura poked her head in the room with a barely-contained grin. “Hi!”

 

“Hey!” Tenten was just as excited to see her. “You must be about to start your shift, huh?”

 

“Yeah! I just wanted to quick drop in and say hi, I hope that’s okay-”

 

“Of course it is!”

 

Sakura brightened up even more. “So this is it! Big moment!”

 

“Can you call it a moment if it takes more than six hours?” Neji questioned dryly. 

  
  


Sakura’s eyes went round. “How far apart are your contractions?” There was a pause as she analyzed what she had said, then held up a finger. “That was definitely my doctor voice.”

 

They both smirked at her, and she said hastily, “I’m asking as a friend. I am definitely not your OB-GYN.”

 

“Oh really?” Tenten said. “I hadn’t any idea. They’re about seven minutes apart, we got to the hospital about an hour ago when they were closer to ten minutes apart.”

 

“That’d put you at the end of your latent stage then. And your water hasn’t broken yet?”

 

“Nope,” Tenten said wryly. “It’s all such fun.” 

 

“Well, I can’t say from experience but I’ve been told that active labor is much more painful.”

 

They both stared at her flatly. Tenten said, with no inflection to her voice whatsoever, “Thanks, Sakura. I feel so good about that.”

 

“Happy to help.” Sakura’s pager went off, and she muted it with a little sigh. “Well, hopefully I haven’t put you off to the point that you don’t let me drop by later if it’s an okay time?”

 

“If I’m not in the middle of pushing a baby out of me, sure.”

 

“Great.” Sakura walked over and hugged Tenten (who patted her back somewhat awkwardly in response) then burst out, “OH MY GOD TENTEN YOU’RE HAVING YOUR BABYYYYYY.”

 

“Yes?” Tenten’s face was smushed into Sakura’s abdomen and her face wasn’t visible, but the confusion in her voice came through loud and clear. “What did you think was happening?”

 

“Shut up, I know you’re having a baby,” Sakura snapped, “But you’re MY FRIEND AND YOU’RE HAVING A BABY. TENTEN IS HAVING HER BABY.”

 

Tenten twisted her face around to look at Neji and mouthed, ‘Help me.’

 

He cleared his throat. “Sakura, if you wouldn’t mind…”

 

“Right, right.” Sakura stepped away from Tenten somewhat reluctantly. “Ugh, I can’t even handle this. See you later if you aren’t in horrible pain and you hopefully have a baby!”

 

* * *

 

Tenten was not in horrible pain when Sakura next saw her, but neither did she have a baby. 

 

She was reading on the bed when Sakura came in during her break, looking slightly sweaty and uncomfortable but otherwise fine. Neji was nowhere in sight.

 

“Knock, knock.” Sakura said.

 

“Who’s there,” Tenten muttered to herself, then seemed to realize what was actually happening. “Oh, right. Hey Sakura.”

 

“No baby?”

 

“Well, there’s a baby, but it’s really just not feeling the whole ‘birth’ thing.”

 

Sakura frowned a little as she took a seat. “Wait, do you not know the gender?”

 

“Nope.” Tenten put her book to the side and stretched out her neck. “Hyuga tradition, I guess.”

 

“Huh. Speaking of Hyugas, where’s yours?”

 

Tenten grinned fondly. “He went out to grab us some lunch. Should be back in a few, actually.”

 

“Ah. Well, besides labor, how’s your day?”

 

“Pretty uneventful, honestly. I’m mostly just bored in between contractions. Neji is super unwilling to make out with me to keep me entertained, for some reason.”

 

Sakura stared at her, looking awkward. “Oh, well- um.”

 

Tenten let the silence draw out for a bit, then said, “Anyway. How’s your day going?”

 

* * *

 

 

Tenten and Neji were actually playing cards when Tenten’s water finally broke, resulting in him panicking and her feeling mildly disappointed that the cards got crumpled and, kind of disgustingly, wet in the resulting flurry of action, rendering them unusable in the future.

 

And Sakura was quite right. Active labor was  _ much  _ more painful then latent labor. 

 

* * *

 

Hui Na Hyuga was born at 2:38 PM on June 13th. She weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces and had what was apparently the loudest cry the doctors had heard all day.

 

Tenten held it together all through the delivery, but the second Hui Na was placed on her chest she started bawling her eyes out right along with the baby. Neji, right at her side with purple fingers where she had been clenching her hand around his through her contractions, surreptitiously wiped away a few of his own tears as well.

 

Delivering the placenta was a piece of cake when she had a baby to hold in her arms and coo over. She was a little slimy still, but Tenten’s lower area was slimy too so who was she to judge? (Her upper area was just sweaty.)

 

Once things had settled down a bit and Tenten was cleaned up, she took a longer moment to look over Hui Na’s tiny, delicate features, Neji at her side and staring down at the baby with gentle eyes. They counted up her fingers and toes- twenty of each, of course, but it was so fun to check- and gently stroked her arms.

 

“She’s so soft,” Tenten whispered, awestruck. Neji hummed in response, hugging her a little closer and resting his head on her shoulder. She propped her head on top of his as they both watched Hui Na yawn, captivated.

 

“This is like the shot people always show in TV shows and stuff when they have a baby.” Tenten murmured. They certainly were picturesque, curled together on the hospital bed and cradling their child.

 

Neji hummed in response again. Tenten rolled her eyes. “Are you even listening to me?”

 

“Hm.” He never stopped staring at Hui Na, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Fair enough.”

 

Hui Na let out the tiniest of whines as she squirmed around a bit under her blankets. They both watch with bated breath as she settled herself back down. 

 

“That was so intense,” Tenten whispered, only 70% joking. 

 

Neji hummed.

 

* * *

 

Tenten woke up from a nap and instantly felt the soreness in her entire body reminding her that yes, she did in fact have a baby a few hours ago. 

 

It went away a little, though, when she rolled over and saw a shirtless Neji seated in a chair and cradling a diaper-clad Hui Na to his chest. 

 

“Why’re… shirt.” She slurred.

 

“She pooped on me,” Neji said. Tenten blinked a few times, unsure whether she should be upset that she missed her baby’s first poop or not. 

 

“How’d it go?” She asked. 

 

“...Fine, I think. A nurse came in during your nap and did some check ups on Hui Na. She’s doing well.”

 

Tenten smiled. “Yaaay!” She pushed herself up to a sitting position and stretched her arms out in front of her, rolling her shoulders a little to shake out some residual tension. “You think we should try breastfeeding again in a little bit?”

 

“Your breasts, your call.”

 

She grinned and shook her head at the phrasing. “Your baby.”

 

“Your baby too.”

 

Tenten beamed at the little baby girl in Neji’s arms. “Yeahhhh.”

 

* * *

 

Neji had wanted children almost the minute he realized he could have his own someday.

 

His father had been his entire world for a long time, and though his death was devastating- even now, sometimes- he remembered how much they had meant to one another. Sometimes he thought he was one of the few bright spots in Hizashi’s short life. 

 

(Neji was already older than Hizashi was when he died, which pained him deeply to think about.)

 

But he remembered that bond, and longed to have it again someday, and if it meant becoming a father then it would be something he would relish.

 

At one point, he realized that to have children in a stereotypical way would mean having sex and getting someone pregnant. That put him off it from ages nine to thirteen, and then he decided that maybe having sex would be not that bad probably.

 

It didn’t meant he wanted children right away. In fact, the idea of having children in high school or college- before marriage, really- put him off quite a bit.

 

And he wouldn’t want to ask such a thing from his partner if they didn’t want children just as much as he did. 

 

He always just assumed he would have to wait most of his life to find someone that he loved and would want the same thing- and then he walked into the Chinese History and Heritage offices in the Konoha Institute of Art to whip through a publicity-gaining, pro-bono case for the newly formed law firm of Hatake and Maito and saw none other than Tenten Huang, his own best friend from ages thirteen to nineteen, sitting at a desk with her hair just as he fondly remembered it.

 

(He joked to her later- once they had become close enough friends again- that she herself had been so excited to see him that she threw up. She was not as amused as he was.)

 

Three and a half years later, he married her. Two years after that, she told him she wanted to have kids.

 

And now here they were, a family. 

 

He had a  _ daughter  _ now, small and loud and grumpy and  _ perfect _ . When Tenten fell asleep and he and Hui Na had their first moments alone together, he couldn’t stop the few tears from falling.

 

Hui Na glared at him for a few seconds, then stubbornly clenched her eyes shut and fell back asleep. He grinned down at her and gently stroked his hand over the top of her downy head. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, and he almost couldn’t believe she was his own child, finally here. 

 

He raised her slightly in the crook of his elbow to kiss her forehead, then settled back in his chair, content to watch her sleep.

 

An hour, a big baby poop, a subsequent shirt removal, and one breastfeed later, Neji had moved back to the bed with Tenten, his arm around her waist and legs tucked in next to hers as they lay on their sides and watched Hui Na slumber away, swaddled in her bassinet and wearing the ridiculously adorable turtle hat from Gai.

 

“You know what I just realized?” Tenten murmured. 

 

Neji dropped a quick kiss to her cheekbone. “Hm?”

 

“She’s ugly.”

 

He had to hastily bury his laugh against her shoulder. He pulled away again a minute or two later, still grinning, and said, “Tennie, you can’t call her that-”

 

“I mean, she  _ is _ ! I’m not going to pretend to people that she’s cute. She’s a newborn, they’re almost never cute and I won’t make people say she is.”

 

“Hui Na is perfect.”

 

“I didn’t say she wasn’t perfect. I just said she was ugly.”

 

“I’m going to ignore you now,” Neji informed her.

 

Tenten settled back against his chest and sighed. “You do that.” She was asleep in minutes.

 

* * *

 

Neji startled awake at the cry of an infant, and had a disorienting moment where he wasn’t sure what was happening. Tenten, tucked against his side with her arm thrown over him, woke up when he sat up, and in the time it took for her to open her eyes he remembered: hospital, baby- and not just a baby, Hui Na, his daughter.

 

_ His daughter. _

 

He got up before Tenten could, quickly crossing to Hui Na’s bassinet and gently lifting her from her bed. She continued wailing, and Tenten’s voice broke in distress. “Neji- she’s crying-”

 

“I know,” he dropped his voice to a low, comforting hum. “She’s hungry. Take your time, get comfortable and I’ll pass her to you.”

 

Tenten sat up and propped up some pillows around herself, then tugged down the front edge of her gown. Neji passed her the wailing infant then sat down next to her on the bed as she settled Hui Na close to her chest. From what Neji could tell from the light falling softly through the cracks in the door, Tenten’s expression was… not good.

 

Hui Na quieted and began nursing, seemingly without an issue. But Tenten’s expression didn’t ease. 

 

She took a sudden, shuddering breath. Neji reached out to cup her jaw. “What is it?”

 

“I don’t know,” she whispered back. He felt her tears fall over his fingers. “I just- she was crying, and I didn’t wake up until you moved me.”

 

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

 

“I’m her mother.”

 

“And you just gave birth to her a few hours ago. You’re exhausted, Tenten. You can let yourself rest.”

 

He slid his hand back to cradle the back of her head. “I’m here for both of you.”

 

“Okay,” she whispered. 

 

He leaned in and slowly kissed her temple, aching over the hitch in her breath as she fought to keep her sobs quiet.

 

When Hui Na finished nursing and had been burped, Tenten gently moved her to rest on her bare chest, sitting back in the bed and closing her eyes. Neji draped his arm over the top of the pillows behind her and gently started stroking her hair.

 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, breathing together. Tenten let out one last quiet snuffle and said softly, “Can you put her back in her bassinet?”

 

Silently he sat up and lifted Hui Na from her arms, shifting her in his grip and pausing to stroke the baby’s cheek, feather-light, before settling her back down. She wiggled a little under her blankets and turned her head as she slowly drifted off again. He watched her for a few long moments, contemplating how much his life had changed in mere hours. 

 

He turned back around to go to bed and found Tenten smiling softly at him through sleepy eyes. She held out a hand to him in invitation and he slid down under the covers next to her, catching the proffered hand and kissing the fingertips. 

 

She put her arm around his waist again and draped her leg over his, tucking herself against his shoulder as she drifted off. Neji laid on his back and placed one hand over her arm and the other on the back of her head, turning to kiss her forehead before he closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

They were headed home early evening the next day, after some more check ups, a few visits from friends and family, and a day spent resting and cooing over Hui Na. Neji, despite Tenten’s muttered, petulant protests, decided to use the cot the hospital had provided for them rather than sharing a bed with Tenten while she napped- she wouldn’t admit it, but she physically felt better if she had it to herself for recovery.

 

Plus, it gave him to opportunity to lay Hui Na on his bare chest while they napped together- and Tenten was sure to get plenty of pictures of that.

 

By 4:30 PM, they had packed up all of their things besides a few essentials- and of course, Hui Na, awake in the carefully vetted baby carrier and watching the outside world move around as much as she could.

 

Neji pulled the car around while Tenten waited with Hui Na, cooing over her and quietly telling her about what her home would be like. Hui Na was distinctly unimpressed, squinting up at Tenten and making a face that probably meant she was gassy.

 

Their ride home was uneventful, but it certainly didn’t stop the new parents from being quite tense over the possibility of any danger. Tenten was certainly prepared to shield Hui Na with her body at a moment’s notice, and Neji was hyper vigilant at the wheel.

 

They got home and settled Hui Na down in their room for a nap, took hundreds of pictures of her, unloaded the car, and then realized they had no idea what to do next. 

 

They sat on the couch and stared at each other for a while, before Tenten said, “Well… dinner?”

 

Neji blinked. “We have that tofu stir-fry Lee and Gaara made us.”

 

She yawned. “Sounds good.”

 

They stared at each other again. Finally Neji said, “I guess I’ll heat that up, then,” and stood and walked into the kitchen. Tenten called after him, “I mean I  _ could _ do it, but since you’re up and everything.”

 

“You just stay there and look pretty.” Neji said.   
  


Tenten cast a quick look over herself. She was wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and one of Neji’s shirts, because like most people after giving birth her postpartum body looked about five months pregnant. She hadn’t actually washed herself in almost thirty hours (she’d had a nice zen experience in the hospital shower, but hadn’t felt like doing anything beyond sitting in the chair and zoning out for a bit.) She didn’t even want to  _ consider  _ what her hair looked like.

 

“Okey dokey,” she told Neji. 

 

She was asleep by the time he came out with a bowl of stir-fry.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all i keep thinking i'm almost done with this series and then i get more inspiration....................... i'm sure you're all so upset by that

Hui Na squinted up at her mother as Tenten cooed over her, pressing one thumb into her tiny palm and inwardly rejoicing over the feeling of little fingers wrapping slowly around her knuckle. 

 

She brought one of those baby hands to her mouth and kissed it tenderly, then settled back to watch Hui Na as she stared sleepily back up at her. 

 

“Hi, baby,” she cooed. “Hello, my little girl. Are you so awake after your nap? Are you ready to play with mama?”

 

Hui Na blinked. Tenten grinned at her adoringly.

 

She had her daughter nestled between her thighs as she sat on the couch, hands tucked underneath her wobbly head in support as Hui Na slowly stretched her limbs, testing their movement. At two weeks old, she had lost some of what Tenten had unashamedly considered her “ugliness” and was now the prettiest baby she’d ever seen, with a cute round head, tiny fat limbs, and long dark eyelashes framing eyes so like her father’s that it made Tenten  _ preen. _

 

Her umbilical cord had fallen out a few days ago, and after much discussion Neji and Tenten were tentatively planning Hui Na’s first bath for that weekend. It was sure to be a very emotional event.

 

“I love you,” Tenten cooed, “Mama loves you!”

 

Hui Na let out a soft warble, and Tenten melted into mush- even more so than she had already. 

 

She continued murmuring over Hui Na for the next half an hour, alternating between kisses to soft baby skin and cuddling her against her chest. Hui Na blinked alertly up at her through it all, and Tenten beamed at the thought of her little doll being so smart  _ already. _

 

But Hui Na could only stay awake for so long, and she was slowly dozing off again cradled in Tenten's arms when the front door opened and Neji entered in muffled haste. (He always did rush to check up on them both when he was away for longer than he deemed acceptable.)

 

“Hey!” Tenten called to him in greeting, watching with some amusement as he hurriedly took off his shoes and strode over to them- quietly, of course. “How was sparring with Lee?”

 

“Good.” He dipped his head to kiss her, then kissed Hui Na’s cheek. She stirred slightly at the touch. “How did everything go here? I'm sorry that we went so long, we lost track of time.”

 

“Oh, don't worry about that, honey. I'm glad you got the chance to go out.” Tenten shifted her grip on the baby and passed her to Neji, smiling as he settled her against his chest with another soft kiss to her head. 

 

“Pretty typical nap for Hui Na, then she woke up and we cuddled for about forty minutes. My guess is she's about ready to sleep again.”

 

“I see. Did you eat lunch?” 

 

“Uh.”

 

“Of course not.”

 

“Did  _ you  _ eat lunch?”

 

“...Hn.”

 

“HA!” She smirked triumphantly. “You have some skin-to-skin time with Hui Na and I’ll make us something.”

 

“Bossy.” Neji carefully passed Hui Na back to Tenten and shucked off his shirt while Tenten took off Hui Na’s swaddling and onesie, then passed her back over to Neji. He settled her against his bare chest with yet another kiss to her head.

 

Frankly, Tenten had no idea Neji was so affectionate until they had moved in together, and he could finally drop kisses on her unsuspecting person any time he wanted- which was often, as it turned out. 

 

He was much the same with Hui Na, and it always made Tenten both happy and a little sad that he'd had such a sweet side bottled up for so long- had he been suppressing this part of himself his whole life, unable to show it without repercussions from the Hyuga family? 

 

Neji didn't know it, but Tenten and Hinata had held long conversations about the Clan, Neji's father, and the trauma that Hinata speculated their family inflicted on its members- her own father, even, though he in turn acted as an enforcer over Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji.

 

Neji settled Hui Na against the crook of his neck and started quietly murmuring to her as Tenten walked into the kitchen to make some lunch. Tenten could hear brief snippets of “... baby… love… sweetheart…” and had to fight the urge to rush back over and kiss them both over and over and over and over…

 

Hui Na was sleeping against Neji’s neck when Tenten had finished preparing two  _ bento  _ for the both of them, so she brought them out to the living room and fed Neji’s to him while they watched a quiet movie. After a while, Neji moved the baby upstairs to her crib to nap, and Tenten followed them upstairs to curl up with Neji on the couch and read in front of their fireplace- which was not lit, seeing as it was the summertime, but their sitting area in front of it offered a cozy little niche that they both loved.

 

She was leaning her head against Neji’s shoulder and idly perused last month’s copy of the  _ Chinese National Geography-  _ which she had special delivered- when her phone chimed with a soft text. She fished it out of her pocket and lazily swiped her finger across the screen.

 

_ ‘TENTEN’ _

 

Ino was very excited about something, apparently.

 

**_‘ya’_ **

 

_ ‘CAN SAKURA AND I COME OVER AND SEEEEEE YOU AND THE BABY THIS WEEKEND’ _

 

_ ‘OH I MEAN NEJI TOO I GUESS’ _

 

**_‘ya’_ **

 

_ ‘OKAY NEATO YOU WANT US TO BRING ANYTHING’ _

 

Tenten thought for a moment.

 

**_‘Newborn diapers and lunch?’_ **

 

_ ‘YOU GOT IT BABE’ _

 

_ ‘OMG TENTEN’ _

 

_ ‘I JUST HAD A THOUGHT’ _

 

**_‘ya’_ **

 

_ ‘YOU’RE A MILF NOW’ _

 

Tenten hastily and somewhat unsuccessfully stifled a snort. Neji’s gaze flicked to her for a moment before noticing the phone in her hand and turning back to his book.

 

Tenten grinned as she replied,  **_‘and yet somehow my vagina is sore from giving birth and not from getting dick’_ **

 

_ ‘THAT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING GIVEN HOW RECENTLY UR KID CAME OUTTA THERE’ _

 

**_‘That’s true. We’re both too baby-brained to be doing much of anything else right now anyway’_ **

 

_ ‘AWWW BABY BRAIN’ _

 

Tenten ignored Ino’s comment as a mischievous thought occurred to her. “Neji, Ino says I’m a MILF now, do you agree?” She grinned over at him, watching a barely-there flush touch his cheeks.

 

He buried his face in his book. “Your breasts are amazing.”

 

She chortled. “Thanks, babe.” It was mostly true- she was currently sporting some ridiculously large breasts along with her stretch marks and post-pregnancy weight.

 

Neji reached to turn the page and paused. “And you have a nice personality.”

 

His blatant attempt to keep her spirits up made her grin- though she hadn’t been experiencing any post-partum depression yet (that she noticed, anyway), they were both expecting it to happen, though hopeful it wouldn’t.

 

(An unlikely scenario, but if she could avoid the whole thing that would be super great, thanks.)

 

“I like your personality too, my love.” She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth even as he stubbornly kept his face in his book, hiding his blush. 

 

After a moment, she leaned against him and tucked her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder and staring into the fireplace. Neji pressed a return kiss to her temple before resuming his reading.

 

Tenten closed her eyes and savored the moment, Neji a warm support at her side and the soft white noise of the baby monitor tracking the peaceful sleep of her daughter in the next room. 

 

She knew the peace and ease wouldn’t last- Hui Na was likely to change sleeping schedules sooner rather than later, with frequent crying and fussiness and two very, very sleep-deprived parents- but right now she was still sleeping uninterrrupted throughout the days and nights, and was soft and sweet when she was awake. 

 

And  _ Neji  _ was just soft and sweet all the time, even if he hid it under a layer of prickliness. 

 

Tenten stirred slightly, glancing out the window at the sunny day outside. “You wanna take Hui Na for a walk once she wakes up?”

 

“That sounds nice.” He followed her gaze outside, and they both watched as a bird flew past the window. “We’ll have to make sure we use the shade on the stroller, though, and cover her up well, and maybe use the infant sunscreen-”

 

He probably could have kept going with safety precautions until he talked himself all the way out of it and then kept Hui Na in a bubble until she was eighteen, but Tenten cut him off with a short press to his mouth. “Of course.”

 

Neji relaxed minutely at her easy agreement, dipping his chin to kiss her a little more thoroughly. She rubbed at his unshaven cheek and hummed. “You’re a little scruffy.”

 

“Lee called it my new dad look.”

 

“Handsome,” she pronounced. “Scruff is very fashionable right now, and you’ve sure as hell got the looks to carry it.”

 

“ _ Language _ , Tenten.”

 

“Oh, blah.” She traced her fingers over the fine bones in his face, concentrating on the prickles of his scruff on her fingertips. Neji leaned just so slightly into the touch, and she was about to suggest they neck on the couch for the next few minutes when there was a whimper over the baby monitor, then a sharp wail.

 

They both leapt up and went to check on Hui Na, jostling each other a little as they both tried to get through the doorway at the same time. Neji dug his fingers into Tenten’s ribcage in a  _ very unfair _ move, and she squealed and recoiled from him, tucking her elbows against her sides protectively. He used her lapse to get into the room and cross to Hui Na’s bassinet, where she had stopped crying and was staring up at the ceiling, trying to locate the noises she heard. 

 

_ Smartest baby in the world. _ Neji grinned down at her. “Hello, my little bird.” He lifted her up and settled her in the crook of his arm. Behind him, Tenten stood up on tiptoe and peered down at the baby over his shoulder. “How dare you use my ticklish-ness against me.”

 

He cleared his throat, mind racing. “I love you, dearest,” he tried.

 

“HA! Don’t try to sweet-talk me now, buster.” Hui Na let out a coo, and both of them were immediately distracted by the soft noise. They spent the next ten minutes chattering to Hui Na in baby talk as they changed her diaper and got her into some play clothes, then tried nursing again. 

 

When it became clear that Hui Na was mostly uninterested and just wanted to be awake and look around, they settled her into her brand new baby stroller- courtesy of Hiashi from their baby shower- and cautiously set out for a walk around the park.

 

They kept Hui Na under the stroller’s shade and had her tucked under a blanket, both to keep her warm and offer more protection from the sun. She looked adorable, bundled up and wide-eyed, and Tenten was sure to send a picture to her aunties and great-uncle. 

 

The walk was- honestly, it was uneventful, but it  _ felt _ monumental. Hui Na was an absolute angel, bright and curious and charming the hell out of the group of old ladies who very politely wanted to take a look at her.

 

(Tenten wasn’t sure if their attention was because of the fame and renown of the Hyuga family- it was just  _ so weird _ that her husband was technically considered a celebrity, when she’d seen him once get so drunk as a teenager that he actually threw up on himself, then tried to flush the soiled shirt down the toilet to ‘hide the evidence’- or if their attention was just because old ladies liked babies, but either way Tenten and Neji were all too pleased to show her off.)

 

They returned home a little while later, settling Hui Na in for a nap in the living room crib before Tenten went downstairs and used the treadmill for the next hour. 

 

She wasn’t  _ super  _ worried about whether or not she’d ‘get her body back’, like all of the passive aggressive parenting magazines Neji’s great aunts kept sending her said, but she’d gone for a six-minute mile almost every morning of her life since she was fifteen and had continued to do so while pregnant until it just wasn’t feasible anymore. She was hoping to get her fitness back up to that point by the time Hui Na turned one, never mind what her stomach looked like. 

 

She was expecting some amount of squish to stick with her for the foreseeable future, and Neji’s aunts could passive aggressively snipe at her about it all they wanted. She didn’t care, Neji certainly didn’t care, her daughter wouldn’t care, and her friends wouldn’t care, and those were the only opinions that really mattered.

 

(She thought fleetingly of her father- he wouldn’t care either.)

 

Sweaty and sore, she headed back upstairs to check up on her family (she had a  _ family _ now), prepared to check if Hui Na needed to be nursed again and then see if Neji wanted to play mahjong- with only the two of them, it wouldn’t be a  _ great  _ game, but she absolutely refused to keep losing to him in  _ shogi _ \- but her train of inquiry was stopped at the very beginning, when she arrived at the top of the steps and found the living room and dining area dimly lit, with candles placed carefully around and low music playing over the speakers.

 

Immediately, she felt a blush come rocketing over her features, helped in part by the sight of two table settings across from one another over the small, tasteful display of flowers on their table, arranged intimately close. 

 

Hui Na’s baby bouncer was set up next to the table, though she was still napping over in her crib. There was the faint chimes of dishes being moved around in the kitchen, and- Tenten now realized embarrassingly late- the smell of food wafting softly over to her.

 

Her husband was the sappiest, most ridiculous man in the  _ universe _ .

 

Neji came striding out of the kitchen with a few bowls in his hands, throwing her a warm smile where she was lingering awkwardly in the doorway and calling gently across to her, “Dinner.”

 

“I can’t  _ believe _ you,” she told him, blood rushing in her ears. Neji shot her a charming grin. 

 

“We had some leftover salmon and tuna, so I figured we could make  _ maki _ sushi.”

 

Tenten instantly started salivating. “That sounds  _ wonderful _ . Has Hui Na been asleep this whole time?”

 

“Yes. Not a sound.”

 

“Ugh, she’s the best baby in the world.”

 

“Entirely true.” Neji nodded sagely and set down what Tenten now recognized as their  _ maki _ sushi roller mats next to the bowls of fish, rice, and vegetables. There was also a  _ tokkuri _ of sake on the table, which meant they were  _ really  _ getting fancy tonight.

 

“Oh- let me grab my nursing pillow, my guess is she’s going to get hungry soon-” 

 

“I have it here.” Neji indicated where the pillow was placed next to the diaper changing station. “She’s still sleeping, so I think we have a little time.”

 

“Some mommy-daddy quality time?” She finally started walking towards him, a teasing smile on her face. 

 

“As it were, yes.” He met her in the middle of the room and looped his arms around her waist, obediently ducking his chin when she pulled at him insistently and kissing her when she puckered her lips.

 

They settled in to make dinner, conversing in quiet voices as they listened for any cries from Hui Na. Tenten’s first attempt at a  _ maki _ roll was very ugly, but no less so than Neji, who had added way too much rice and was trying to avoid spilling all over the table.

 

Tenten popped a roll into her mouth. “At least mine stays in one piece, Hyuga.” Neji scowled at her, dabbing up bits of rice with a napkin.

 

“You should be ashamed to call that mess a  _ maki, _ ” he told her primly. She grinned at him, reaching over to dip another bite into soy sauce. “Tastes pretty good,” she told him. “This was a good idea, my love.”

 

He ducked his chin a little. “Thank you.” He finally managed to pick up a bite of sushi without spilling the contents all over the place and ate it, smiling a little in triumph.  Tenten was about to get started making her next roll when she heard Hui Na begin to whimper and she hastily stood to wash her hands before going to get the baby from the crib.

 

Hui Na was nursing away a few minutes later while Tenten told Neji at length what she had been planning on putting on her next roll, too bad she was nursing Hui Na right now and would have to wait at least twenty minutes to make it, oh well at least she could watch Neji make his own  _ maki _ …

 

Fortunately her subtle hinting did not go unnoticed, and before long she was cheerfully telling Neji what ingredients she wanted as he added them to the roll and arranged them to her taste. The roll came out looking infuriatingly pretty.

 

Tenten eyed it sourly. “I guess you learned your lesson from the first one, huh?”

 

Neji smirked and offered her a bite. She rolled her eyes but opened her mouth to accept it, carefully leaning over and allowing him to place it in her mouth. Hui Na thwapped one hand hard against Tenten’s collarbone at the movement, which made both of her parents laugh.

 

“I’m sorry,” Tenten cooed down at her, “Are we bothering you?” She wiggled her fingers under Hui Na’s grip so her little hand was wrapped around Tenten’s thumb, clutching it close to her chest. Tenten tilted her head to the side as she smiled down at her daughter.

 

When she looked up again a few minutes later- she’d gotten distracted by her cute little girl- Neji was watching them both with a tight expression. 

 

Tenten blinked at him, surprised at the emotions flitting across his face. “Neji?”

 

He stared at her for another long moment, then broke his gaze, looking down at the table and shaking his head a little before abruptly reaching out to cup her jaw in his hand. She blinked a few times before her brow pinched in concern. “My love, is everything all right?”

 

He traced his thumb under her eye, slow and meaningful, before dropping his hand to gently skate over Hui Na’s downy head. “I love you,” he told Tenten, staring into her eyes. Some of that tightness had left his expression, but that didn’t mean Tenten was going to let it go.

 

“I love you too, Neji. What is it?”

 

He faltered a little, his hand drawing away from Hui Na- but it didn’t get far before Tenten smoothly entangled his fingers in her own. She stroked the tops of his knuckles slowly, patiently waiting for him to formulate his thoughts.

 

“I…” He trailed off, looking first at their joined hands and then at Hui Na. “It’s not… tangible. I suppose I’m just feeling-”

 

He broke off again, turning his hand in hers so he was holding her fingers. “I’ve wanted children- most of my life, really.” Tenten nodded. “But I didn’t really think, with the Hyuga family being…”

 

(His pause and struggle for words said everything he could not.)

 

“...I never thought I’d be in the circumstance where I’d be willing to bring a child into the world.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it softly. “But you… you make me so happy, and I trust you completely, and you’ve allowed me to start the family I always wanted.” He turned her hand over and pressed his lips against her palm, slow and reverent. “Thank you,” he murmured against her skin.

 

What does one say after a heartfelt confession like that? Tenten didn’t know, so she burst into tears and tucked Neji’s hand against her heart as she blubbered her way through a few garbled sentences about how much she loved Neji and how happy he made her, and now how happy Hui Na was making her, and how she wasn’t ever really sure she wanted kids because she loved her career and so many women always felt like they had to face that ugly choice of kids or a career and people would always talk shit about their decision no matter what it was so Tenten always figured she wouldn’t have kids but being with Neji made her sort of want them for the first time, if only because she knew that it wouldn’t be so hard to have a great career to with Neji by her side.

 

So she took that plunge and now they had Hui Na and Tenten was happier than she ever thought she could be, because she trusted Neji too and he made her happy too.

 

Halfway through her rambles Neji crossed to her side and sunk down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and Hui Na and burying his face into her neck as Tenten blubbered her confessions into his hair. He rocked them both slowly in his arms, raising his head so Tenten could hide her face in his shoulder while she cried. It was all very dramatic.

 

A few minutes later, they had pulled apart and Tenten grabbed the edge of her shirt collar to wipe at her nose- she was very snotty when she cried- and Neji instantly swatted her hand away to offer her his handkerchief. She took it with a loud sniffle- he was so old-fashioned and it made her fight back more blubbering.

 

Once she had calmed down she looked at Neji again, whose eyes were red too, though she saw no sign of tears. She passed him back his handkerchief and cleared her throat. “So- uh- what do we do now, finish dinner or…?”

 

“R-right. I suppose.” He seemed struck by the ridiculousness of the situation just as much as she was- they’d had this major emotional moment in the middle of an ordinary event, and now they were going back to the ordinary event. 

 

Neji yanked his place setting over to the other side of the table so he could keep his arm wrapped around her (and Hui Na, indirectly) while he continued to eat. Tenten cradled her daughter close and set her head down to rest on her husband’s shoulder with a muffled  _ plunk _ .

  
  



End file.
